Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror (2015)

Nearly five years since the band’s last effort “At the Edge of Time”, Germany’s Blind Guardian return with another epic release with “Beyond the Red Mirror”. Featuring their signature soaring Power Metal filled with musical virtuosity and engaging chorus sections, this album delivers 64 minutes of warm hearted music that will bring back all the memories of the band’s highly praised discography.

Opening the release with great style, “The Ninth Wave” starts with album with 9 minutes of epic arrangements and soaring vocals. As the opener bleeds into “Twilights of The Gods”, the first mega-epic masterpiece of this release is revealed with an uber catchy chorus section. With “Prophecies” the band keeps a similar level of amazingness with Hansi Kürsch’s signature vocals and the excellent guitar work of André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen. The band’s sound is expertly crafted and perfectly balanced to deliver truly memorable songs.

As we approach our favorite track, “The Holy Grail”, we get a hefty dosage of traditional Power Metal that does not over abuse orchestrations and classical arrangements to be effective and epic. For the fans of more dramatic and somber tracks, the ballad “Miracle Machine” will nicely impress you. For all others that enjoy blistering drums and mesmerizing guitar leads, “The Throne” and “Sacred Mind” have us covered.

Saving one of the best for last, “Grand Parade” closes one epic release with a certain Sonata Arctica vibe (on top of Blind Guardian’s staple sound) that we greatly appreciated. If you like soaring Power Metal that focuses on being catchy and epic, look no further and pick up the latest opus of this acclaimed band. Every one of the ten tracks presented in this release is a memorable one, so be sure to dust off your older Blind Guardian albums and start warming up for the release of this one early February.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: February 3rd, 2015

Genre: Power Metal

Country: Germany